Small Glimpse of Hope (UPDATED)
by RaVeN10
Summary: My first story on fanfiction.net, so no flames, please. ^.^ . RENTfic. Takes place a couple years after Rent ends. Roger is unhappy for once instead of Mark. His life loses meaning until one night when he meets a beautiful stranger. Please R&R. Still deba


Little bit of questionable language, some abuse, and some themes. Good otherwise. Takes place a couple years after RENT ends. Please R&R. I'm not sure whether or not 2 make a part 2! Otherwise, ENJOY!  
  
  
SMALL GLIMPSE OF HOPE  
  
  
  
  
Roger walked aimlessly down the streets of the East Village. He had been doing this a lot. He would just leave the loft and walk. Walk until he ended up on the Broadway strip. Walk until he felt his legs couldn't carry him anymore. He really had nothing better to do.  
  
  
Ever since Mimi's recent death, his life, his career had lost all it's meaning. His guitar sat in a far corner of the loft collecting dust. He no longer had the passion he once did for music. But burying 4 friends can do that to a person. Sometimes he found himself thinking of those dear friends he lost. April, Angel, Collins, Mimi... He missed them so... Roger hated this disease. AIDS. It had claimed the lives of almost everyone who was close to him and he knew that he was next.  
  
  
Mark had been his only support. But ever since Mark's film started getting publicity and he was able to convince investors to sink some money into it, he started getting distant. There was no point in asking him to hang out because he already knew his answer. "Not tonight, Rog. Big investor coming." And Roger would watch as Mark and his biggest investor went out to dinner. He was truly happy for his friend's success, but he loathed the loneliness.   
  
  
Normally, he would shut down and never leave the loft that he and Mark shared. But within it's walls, it held too many memories of the past few years and it just made him depressed. He could go to the Life Support meetings, but he normally went with Mark, Collins, or Mimi and he hated going by himself. So the only thing he could think of doing was walk.  
  
  
It started out as just a walk around the block. Then it got longer and longer. Sometimes he would walk until the sun came up. Nowadays, though he was cutting his walks shorter. It was much too cold this time of year to walk all night long.  
  
  
On this particular night, he was walking on his way back to the loft. He couldn't feel his legs and he felt that they were ready to crumble beneath him. He ducked into a restaurant and sat behind the bar. He put his head down on the cool surface of the bar table. He wanted to cry, he wanted to laugh, and he wanted to scream. He wanted SOMEONE, anyone to notice him.  
  
  
Just then, he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He slowly, laborly lifted his head up. A beautiful pair of sharp, dark-green eyes stared back at him. He looked more closely at the gorgeous woman standing in front of him. Her brown skin seemed as if it were glowing in the dimly lit, smoke filled bar. Her hair was long, black and curly. Not curly in the same sense that Mimi's was, wavier. She looked at him, concerned. "You ok, hon?" she asked in a light, almost melodic voice. "Yes..." he lied. She gave him a skeptical look. "No." he confessed. She smiled at him. Where had he seen that smile before? "Here," she handed him a beer, "On the house". She winked at him and walked away.   
  
  
He stared bewildered into his beer. 'What just happened' he thought. He shrugged and began sipping on the cool liquid. It was definitely refreshing after the long walk. He sat there drinking his beer and thinking. This stranger was definitely beautiful, but the last thing he needed right now was to get romantically involved. Both parties ended up hurt in the end. Now that Roger thought about it, almost every girlfriend he's ever had has left him in one way or another. Every person he's ever cared about has left him. But then again, he had a tendency to leave also. He also knew that he carried with him a disease that could weaken his immune system and kill him whenever it pleases. 'I just don't wanna hurt her' he thought.   
  
  
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard raised voices on the other side of the bar. He gazed in the direction of the noises to see a small, yet muscular man snaking his arms around the waist of the woman he had spoke to moments ago. "Let go of me, you asshole!" she yelled, trying to move out of his reach, but the man kept pursuing her. "Oh, come on baby. Can't we talk about this?" he said smoothly as he leaned in for a kiss. "NO," she said roughly pushing him away, "There's nothing to talk about, Jon. I told you, it's over between us!!" The man, Jon, leaned in and whispered in her ear, "It isn't over until I say it's over," he said threat tingly, "You understand me, bitch?" he said leaning back to glare coldly into her eyes.   
  
The woman smirked as she spit in his face.   
  
  
The man growled angrily and roughly dragged the woman outside by the arm through a back exit. Roger sat there enraged. A strange, slight feeling of possession came over him. 'That bastard had no right to do that to her' he thought. His mind raced as he followed the two outside. He opened the door and could hardly believe his eyes. The man slapped the woman across the face and a small spurt of blood flew onto the pavement. This action completely set Roger off.   
  
  
He charged up to the couple and ripped him away from her as he was raising his hand for another strike. Roger grabbed him and spun him around to face him. A look of sheer terror crossed the man's face as he looked up at the 6"2' figure before him. Roger punched the man with every ounce of strength he had. The man went flying across the alley. That's when Roger lost it. All the anger, anguish, sadness, and loneliness he felt for the past year was channeled into his pummeling of the man. When he was finished, he was pretty sure that he broke the guy's nose, and jaw. His bloodied hands ached. All of his energy was drained. He leaned against the building to avoid collapsing. Then he remembered the beautiful woman he had left sobbing in the alley. He trudged over to her. He kneeled down so they both were eye level. He tilted her chin up so she looked him in the eye.   
  
  
A small trickle of blood was on the corner of her mouth. 'Those eyes...' the woman thought. The eyes that had once gazed upon her with such anguish and hurt now were filled with warmth and comfort. "You all right?" he asked. She nodded. He smiled, maybe for the first time in years. "Who was that guy anyway? Ur boyfriend?" she laughed. "No, just some asshole that can't take a hint". They sat in silence for a few moments staring into each other's eyes. "Uh.... I was wondering if u would...let me walk you home?" she smiled brightly. "Of course!" she said almost a bit too eagerly, " Just lemme get my coat," she said. He stood and gave her his hand, and with much effort stood to her feet. "By the way," Roger started, "I'm Roger," he said. She smiled, "They call me Hope"  
"Hope" Roger breathed. He watched as she went inside to retrieve her coat. "Hope..."  
  
*************************************************************************  
  
  
Roger finally reached the door of the loft. He pulled his key out of his pocket, stuck it in the lock, and turned. He opened the door, not thinking that Mark was home and turned off the light. Sitting on the couch were Mark and his "investor" very passionately kissing each other. Mark quickly jumped away from the handsome man when the light went on. "Roger! I didn't know u were--I mean--Roger I-". Roger raised a hand, "Later." Roger said. He walked back to his room and closed the door giving Mark and his company some privacy. He was a bit shocked that Mark was gay and didn't tell him. But he couldn't think about that right now. He couldn't think of anything but Hope. He knew that they could never be together, 'But still,' he thought, 'it was to have a small glimpse of hope if only for a short while'. He sighed and fell asleep.  
  
  
  
THE END  
  
  
  
Questions?? Comments?? Please, my life depends on it!!   
  



End file.
